Wednesday 28 January 2026
The Profumo Affair
The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler beginning in 1961. Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the House of Commons in 1963; weeks later, a police investigation proved that he had lied. The scandal severely damaged the credibility of Macmillan’s government, and Macmillan resigned as Prime Minister in October 1963, citing ill health.
Speaker: Andrew Baker taught in Grammar Schools for over 40 years and is the author of a best-selling book on Contemporary British Politics. He is a regular cruise ship lecturer and has spoken to us a number of times in the past.
